Page 51 of Twenty Years Later

As her warmth left my side, Audrey scrambled over to the now empty space. "Did you like it?" she asked me, her eyes wide, the open expression on her face reminding me of Jayda.

"I loved it."

"You did?" Jayda asked, eyeing me.

"Yeah. I really did. It's a great story." It really was.

"Well, now you have to see the sequel and the shorts. It's a whole world, Alex," Jayda said, coming to life now.

"I'm gathering that."

"Mama! I need my dress."

"Okay, lovey, let's find your dress." Sighing and stretching, Jayda rose up from the couch. "And maybe when Gabby wakes up, should we get out of here? Maybe go see the lighthouse?"

"That sounds perfect."

Moments later, Audrey came rushing down the stairs to show off her ice-blue dress complete with a ripped hem. I couldn't help but laugh as she twirled around and sang at the top of her voice.

All the noise and excitement woke Gabby up. But instead of being cranky about it, she stared at the very excited Audrey who was now creating her own ice castle in the air with a smiling Jayda standing nearby.

"Mama, I want Elsa hair!"

"We can ask Santa soon. Okay?"

"You always say that."

Jayda laughed and rolled her eyes at me before turning back to Audrey. "I know. Hey, why don't we take a ride in that big old car you've been wanting to see, and we can show Gabby the lighthouse?"

"Can I wear my Elsa dress?"

"Sure, why not?Andyour coat and shoes." Audrey grumbled about a jacket, but she went anyway to grab it off the hook. "What do you think, Alex?" Jayda asked. "Are you and Gabby up for that?"

"Absolutely. Just need to change a diaper here probably. We'll be ready in a few."

I carried Gabby up the stairs with Audrey and Jayda soon following to look for some kind of Elsa crown. As I changed Gabby's diaper, I thought about how it'd be nice to see a bit of the area, and I kind of hoped Jayda would wear that hat again. I laughed at myself as I also switched out Gabby's pants for a new pair that didn't have a hole in the knee.

Setting Gabby down on the rug in our room, she immediately went to town on all the toys Jayda had brought in, and I took the free moment to brush my teeth in the bathroom across the hall. It was then that I heard footsteps rushing past toward the end of the hallway where Jayda's room was and a door slamming shut.

What the heck? Why was Jayda practically running to her room?

I hurried to finish and decided to investigate after I saw that Gabby was still busy. But as I neared Jayda's open doorway, I hesitated, seeing that the bathroom door in her room was shut.

If she was sick, would she even want me near? Wouldn't she be embarrassed? Knowing Jayda, of course she'd be mortified if I knocked on her bathroom door.

And then I heard the gagging. Like she was trying not to be sick. And I felt awful. Was she attempting to hide some kind of stomach bug and just didn't want to tell me? I could see how she wouldn't want me to know.

But I didn't care if she was sick in front of me. If we were going to have any sort of future like I dreamed about, it would be in sickness and in health. And if she was ill, well then, I wanted to take care of her. That was the kind of thing that had been lacking between Fiona and me. And damn it, I couldn't handle another relationship like that.

Determined to make things different this time, I walked toward the bathroom and the intermittent gagging noise. For a split second, I hesitated, my hand raised to the door, not sure this was the right thing. But screw it, I forged ahead and did it anyway. I knocked. And the gagging immediately stopped.

"Jayda, are you okay in there?"

Complete silence. And then the sound of water running.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, you know, if you're sick."

Still nothing.

---